North+Broward+Prep+School+-+Coconut,+Creek,+FL

__An IB Investigation for the Girls Preparatory School of Chattanooga, TN (performed by Chris Zeller): __ //Contact Information: //parsonsb@nbps.org 954.247.0011x230
 * //Response generated by Bill Parsons of North Broward Prep School – Coconut Creek, FL //**

Yes, but only in cases where the syllabus objectives are identical or nearly identical. We have had success with Art and English. I would not advise attempting to combine IB and AP science, mathematics, economics, or history classes.
 * 1. Can an AP class and an IB class be operated in the same classroom? Is this counterintuitive? **

I am an IB coordinator, so I can give you the whole list:
 * 2. What IB courses does your department offer and at what level?**
 * ** One Year subjects ** || ** Two-Year subjects ** || ** Proficiency-Based ** ||
 * German A1 SL || English HL and SL || French B HL and SL ||
 * Geography SL || History HL and SL || Spanish B HL and SL ||
 * ITGS SL || Biology HL and SL || ||
 * History SL || Chemistry HL and SL || ||
 * Environmental Systems and Societies SL || Math HL, SL, Studies || ||
 * TOK || Art HL and SL || ||
 * || Music HL and SL || ||
 * || Drama HL and SL || ||
 * || Film HL and SL || ||

I love IB. Here are some things to consider: 1.  COSTS: Annual fee, examination fees, trainings, and materials are all expensive. I think of it as paying for a brand. To me, it’s worth it.
 * 3. What are the downsides to having an IB program? **

2. REDUNDANCIES: If you try to run AP and IB courses next to each other, you distribute your faculty’s talents in bad ways. The only way that having an IB program makes sense is to say that IB is your program. If you make that statement – and structure all classes around IB – then there’s no problem. If, on the other had, you try to add IB as a supplemental program to what you already have, you end up with added costs (both human and financial) with limited benefits.

1.  Teachers need to be retrained and re-educated to assess in the ways that IB does and to learn IB’s language. The challenge of doing something new adds stress and work.
 * 4. What additional, if any, stresses are placed on students and/or faculty?**

2. Students in the IB program may find that they have to adjust the way they perform. Students who thrive in an AP course where the teacher gives a lot of information for them to memorize might be thrown off in an IB course, where the teacher puts more emphasis on evaluations of facts and patterns.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Palatino Linotype'; msobidifontfamily: 'Palatino Linotype'; msofareastfontfamily: 'Palatino Linotype'; msolist: Ignore;">3. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Both of these stresses are exacerbated in a school that tries to tack an IB program on to an existing program. If you decide to be an IB school, then the school (students and teachers) can focus on the IB learner profile and the learning expected in this program.

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We have redesigned out English and history scope and sequence to be oriented towards IB. The re-designing has resulted in a complete revision of the works that we read English, grades 9-12 and an equally deep revision in history. We need to do a similar redesign in the natural sciences that adjusts to a two-year per subject format. In mathematics, we kept our existing Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II, and Pre-Calculus courses. We have made Algebra II the prerequisite for Math Studies (as a one-year subject), and Pre-Calculus as the prerequisite for Math Standard level (as a one-year subject) and for Math HL (as a two-year subject).
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">5. How has the addition of an IB program affected your overall curriculum? Departmental offerings? Scope and sequencing? **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We have found it necessary to waive some graduation requirements for IB diploma candidates. I would be in favor of saying that a student who completes an IB Diploma program and earns passing grades from our school is exempt from other graduation requirements.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">6. Are graduation requirements different for an IB student than for a regular student? **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This question is too broad to answer, but I would refer back to the earlier questions: If you’re going to be an IB school, you should structure your whole program around IB-style assessments – for everyone, including the “regular” students. IB is not an elite program; it is a reasonably rigorous high school program of studies. Most students are capable of doing IB standard level courses, and these should be the basis for the grade eleven and twelve curriculum.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">7. How do you assess? Is assessment different for an IB student? For an AP student? For a regular student? **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Training costs about $2000 per workshop. Every IB teacher needs to do two of these workshops (so you probably have to train about 20 people – including your coordinator, CAS coordinator, principal, guidance counselors, and college advisors. Training is usually a three day workshop, although some are longer. They are not difficult or onerous, but they are necessary. There is online training. I have taken one class – but found it very hard to complete because I had other things to do. If teachers are going to train online, then they need to understand that it’s a four to six hour weekly commitment.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">8. To what extent and expense must faculty be trained to teach an IB course? How many faculty do you have teaching in the IB program? How rigorous is the training? Is there any online training? **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">For “Internal Assessments” teachers collect and grade the student work, then send their grades to IB. The IB asks for a sample of these, and based on the samples, they moderate the teacher’s grades up or down. For examinations, the IB Coordinator administers them at your campus and mails them to the examiners, who are spread around the globe. Note: Postage is a LARGE EXPENSE. Could be up to 10K if you give a lot of exams.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">9. How does the external testing through the IB organization work? **

We trained our faculty by sending them to workshops.
 * 10. If your school is new to the IB program, how were your faculty members trained? Workshops? On-line? Combination?**

In some cases, they are similar. In some, they are apples and oranges. See my earlier answer.
 * 11. How different is the IB course from the AP or regular course of the same name?**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I think that our departments are pretty happy with the IB program. In science, however, we have teachers preparing for AP and IB courses, and this arrangement creates unnecessary extra work for the teachers. We need to consolidate in this area. Math teachers dislike the projects required for SL and HL because they are difficult and require a lot of grading time.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">12. Are all your academic departments equally pleased with the move to an IB program? Why or why not? **

Yes. Even for IB Standard Level courses, students need to bring certain skills and knowledge into the class.
 * 13. If you offer only the Diploma Programme (11th and 12th grades only), are there prerequisites/requirements for the IB courses?**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We have geared our grade 7-10 curriculum towards the IB, especially at the honors level.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">14. How do you prepare your 7th - 10th grade students for participation in the IB program? **

For high schools, yes. I haven’t heard of a high school rejecting credit for an IB course. In terms of continuing an IB program, it rarely works for a student to begin an IB program in one school and complete it at a second school.
 * 15. If a student leaves your school prior to graduation, does the IB credit transfer easily?**

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">They are very pleased.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">16. How has your parent community responded to the IB program? **

Well… I came into the school with a lot of IB experience, and I have helped the school to develop the program. I think that the key issue for this school was making a decision – which we are still in the process of making – about who we are: an IB school, or a school with an IB program. As I have said, I strongly believe that if you’re going to create an IB program, you should make IB the program. There are too many costs to implementation to make it worthwhile to have in isolation.
 * 17. What do you wish you had known about the IB program prior to implementation that you did not know to ask?** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif';">

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif';">I have worked in three IB schools. We never rejected a student or ignored credits that were not IB. But a student entering in her senior year almost certainly would not be able to complete an IB diploma.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif';">18. If a girl transfers from a non-IB school with elevated honors/AP credits, are these credits accepted at an IB school? **

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif';">We bill students for their exam fees. The school has absorbed the other costs, which are considerable.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','serif';">19. How does your school handle the encompassed costs associated with an IB class (student or school responsibility)? **